Crown and brim protector



1136.20, 1938.r FGRICHARDS 2,141,017

CROWN AND BRIM PROTECTOR` Filed April 15, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 1v Dec. 20, v1938. F. G. RICHARDS CROWN AND BEIM PROTECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April l5, 1938 Patented Dec. 20, 1938 l umu CROWN AND Bam PROTECTOR Frank G. Richards, Philadelphia, Pa.,assignor to John B. Stetson Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 15, 1938, Serial No. 202,172

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the packing of hats for shipment, and they are generally packed three in a box, however, certain features of it are useful where they are packed singly. The

5 invention primarily relates to the packing of soft hats such, for instance, as fur or wool felt hats, but it could be used Vto advantage in packing stiff hats, derby or straw hats, or any type of hat for men, women and children.

In packing soft hats they have been placed in a box with a ring around them and a brim' board around the ring to keep the hat spaced from the sides of the box-thereby to protect the hat brim. When more than one hat was packed in the box, a platform was then placed on top of the ring, and around the crown of the hat, and another hat and ring and brim board placed thereon and so on to the number desired to be placed in the box. To keep the ring and platform from mark- 20 ing the brim and crown' of the hat, tissue paper has been placed over the hat prior to placing the ring thereover In handling the boxes, and when shipped by freight, they are shaken about a great deal, and the shaking has produced marks on the hats, despite the paper. Also, certain hats are greased in manufacture, to bring out color, and gloss, or both, and the paper has absorbed the grease at the points of impact with ring and platform and thereby marked the brim and crown.

To overcome this marking I have invented a collar, with a aring portion at the bottom, made of semi-flexible material, such `as heavy manila paper, which I place around the hat crown and down on the brim before the ring is placed thereover. This collar extends up beyond the top of the ring and consequently the platform contacts the collar, rather than the hat crown, and the collar also prevents the top edge of the ring from marking or imprinting the crown, and the bottom edge from marking or imprinting the brim. The semi-flexible paper prevents edge contacts and absorption of grease, so that the hats reach the consumer in the same fresh condition in which they leave the factory. Furthermore, these collars may be placed on the hats much more quickly and uniformly than the paper formerly used and the speed of packing is considerably stepped up.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention in the preferred form, however, these features and combinations of details are capable of being widely varied within the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 isa side view of a box partly in sec- (Cl. 20G- 9) tion showing three hats packed therein with the use of the collar of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the collar of the invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view with parts broken away of the invention as applied to a hat.

Figure 4 is a view of the packing assembly as applied to a hat.

In the drawings similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In placing hat I in the box 2 the hats are preferably placed on a table with the brim down in the position shown in Figure 4.

A collar 3 in tongues 5.

At the juncture 6 of the tongues with the collar the collar is perforated so that the tongues readily bend outwardly. The collar is preferably made of a semi-flexible material such as manila paper which is fairly unabsorbent.

After the hat has been placed in the position shown in Fig. 4 the collar 3 is placed around the hat with the tongues 5 in contact with the brim and projecting outwardly from the crown. Around the collar and hat is then placed the usual packing ring or stay '1.

This ring ts rather snugly around the collar at its base and holds it firmly in position around the crown of the hat. The ring however instead of contacting with the hat and marking the same rests upon the projecting tongues 5 extending from the collar and these being comparatively stiff prevent the ring from marking the brim. The usual brim board 8 surrounds the ring or stay 'l and this board is larger than the brim of the hats and prevents the brim of the hats from being thrown against the sides of the box 2.

With the hat still in the position shown in Fig. 4

a platform 9 generally similar in shape to the brim board 8 is then placed on the ring l and around the crown of the hat and the collar 3. The collar should extend suiiiciently above the platform 9 to prevent any contact of the platform '9 with the crown of the hat.

It is likewise desirable that the collar extend up the crown of the hat toward its top so that there will be no danger of marking the crown of the hat by the sharp edge of the conically shaped collar.

The next hat in line is then placed down upon the platform 9 with the brim resting on the platform, The portion of the collar projecting above the platform 9 now forms a guide for this succeeding hat. Further packing assemblies and hats are then placed in position until the desired number is obtained. The boxes are preferably made with one stay I0 held fast in the bottom of the box by the support l i. Tissue paper may be placed over the top hat in the series because the marking on the brim can be fairly well prevented by the use of the tissue paper. If in packing some groups of hats it is found that tissue paper is not suflicient to prevent the marking then the collar of this invention may also be used for the last hat in the series.

The box having the permanent stay I0 in its bottom is then inverted and put over the pile of hats. Then the boX and hats are righted and they are in position ready to receive the top of the box l2.

In this manner the collar prevents the top of the ring 'l from contacting with the crown of the hat and also it prevents the platform 9 from contacting with the crown of the hat. The tongues 3 not only prevent the bottom of the ring 1 from contacting with the brim of the hat but they hold the collar down and prevent it from sliding up inside the next hat. With a collar of this kind on the upper hats and the usual protection on the lowest hat in the box these boxes may be shipped and handled roughly without in any way marring the surfaces of either the crown or the brim of the hat.

It is obvious that various changes and modications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above speciiically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such details and modications being restricted only by the sco-pe of the following claims.

What I claim is new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Packing means for hats comprising an elongated sheet of material having parallel arcuate sides, the convex side being slitted to produce a plurality of similar tongues, said sheet constituting the development of the frustrum of a cone and being adapted to be placed around the crown of a hat, and the tongues being adapted to spread out on the upper side of the brim of the hat and a hat supporting ring surrounding the cone and the crown of the hat, and bearing only against the cone.

2. Packing means for hats comprising a semiflexible collar adapted to be placed around a hat crown, a ring adapted to surround the crown of the hat and collar, a brim board around the ring to space the same from the sides of a container, said collar having a ared portion adjacent the hat brim extending radially beyond the ring to prevent the same from imprinting the brim.

3. Packing means for hats comprising a semiiiexible collar adapted to be placed around a hat crown, a ring adapted to surround the crown of the hat and collar, a brim board around the ring to space the same from the sides of a container, said collar extending around the crown above the ring and having a 'flared portion adjacent the hat brim extending radially beyond the ring to pre- Vent the same from imprinting the crown and brim.

4. Means to pack a plurality of hats in a container comprising a semi-exible collar adapted to be placed around a hat crown, a ring adapted to surround the crown of the hat and collar, a brim board around the ring to space the same from the container sides, said collar having a ilared portion adjacent the hat brim extending radially beyond and under the edge of the ring, and at the other end, extending beyond the ring, a platform having an opening therein adapted to be placed around the hat crown and projecting collar and to rest upon said ring, whereby another hat and packing assembly may be placed thereon.

FRANK G. RICHARDS. 

